After Flowering, What Should Be Done With Asian Lilies In Pots?

Lilies can be grown in pots or the ground, as they prefer a cold dormant phase throughout winter. To ensure their health and encourage future blooms, it is essential to provide them with the right conditions and maintenance. First, choose a large, well-draining pot with drainage holes to prevent waterlogged soil.

As long as you have enough space on your porch, patio, or balcony for a potted lily, you can grow Asiatic lilies. With enough sun, rich soil (or fertilizer), and sufficient water, Asiatic lilies should reward you with abundant blooms. Divide clumps of Asiatic lilies when bulbs reproduce, and deadhead the flowers just below the flower to prevent them from going to seed. However, leave the stems and foliage on to die back naturally.

Prune your lilies after flowering, just as you would prune a hydrangea or cut back your lavender. Dwarf varieties are a natural choice for container gardening, but any lilies can be successfully grown in pots with a few key tips. Many lilies are prolific spreaders when planted in the ground. After flowering, re-pot in autumn when the foliage dies down, or transfer bulbs to the garden. In larger containers, lilies can be grown on for a second season in the same pot, but ensure that the top 5cm (2in) of compost is replaced with fresh compost with some added fertiliser or well rotted manure.

After blooming, be sure the lilies stay outside to gather sunlight and energy for next year’s growth. Feel free to cut back the spent blooms. When they have grown roots, plant them in pots or a nursery bed, where they will become ready to bloom in a year or two. Potting and feeding with liquid seaweed or tomato food every couple of weeks is ideal. Deadhead once when flowering is over, and leave the lily plant alone after blooming to finish their life cycle undisturbed.

In this Golden Rules video guide, lily expert Sarah Hyde explains three golden rules for growing and caring for potted lilies.